chirigurl's Xanga

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:38:15 GMT

i've been so ridiculously busy, but it's just about come to an end. should be a steady business (instead of 14 hours/day) until feb 4.

going back a while, christmas and my time back in CA was nice, except that i lost my voice and then got really sick on my birthday. i did get spoiled by teresa and janet and richie when i was back in ca (thank you!) and my mom and brother planned a nice surprise for my birthday. bear took me to a very nice french restaurant on the upper east side (l'absinthe - michelin stars!) and the chocolate cake was to die for.

this year, i feel old in body, sometimes in spirit.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:56:16 GMT

Latest NYC restaurants:

1) Oceana (seafood) - Lunch: I had the crab claws with a apple chutney for an appetizer, which was very tasty, and I had the steamed grouper for my entree, which was very light and fluffy, just the way I like it. The restaurant was a typical high end seafood restaurant and you felt like you were sitting in a boat (either on the upper or lower deck depending on if you sat upstairs like we did or downstairs). The diners were all suits, but then again, I guess we were too. Price was prix-fixe at $48/pp.

2) Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro (french) - Lunch: We shared a cheese fondue with bread, apples, and beef tips, all of which were so good! This blew the melting pot out of the water (and they were also good). This place is actually known for their cheese. For my entree I got the Hanger Steak with Frites (a little under med rare) and that was also tasty, but the best thing about this place was the praline and caramel cheesecake that we had for dessert. It was so heavenly and just sweet enough and so light. We also had some nice French wine to go with it which was very mild, smooth, and unlike anything I've had before. Price was $180 after tip and tax for 2 people and worth every bite.

3) Kellari Taverna (greek) - Dinner: My friend and I shared a bottle of greek white wine, the grilled octopus and mussels for appetizers, and a grilled sea bass for two. For dessert we had the chocolate souffle (of course) and the Galaktoboureko which were these phyllo cigar like things that were really delicious and flaky. The restaurant had a great ambiance, very bustly but friendly, and perfect service in addition to the amazing food. Price was $200 after tip and tax for 2 people and worth every bite.

4) Capital Grille (steak) - Dinner: I had a grey goose martini for my beverage, and the lobster and crab cakes which came with tartar sauce and a kind of corn mix. I have to say, I was looking at my other coworker's fresh raw oysters and wished I had ordered those instead. For my main course, I had the 24 oz porterhouse, cooked rare +, and finished every last yummy bite of it, to my coworkers' surprise. Sides were onion rings seasoned very well and salty, and mashed potatoes. We shared a chocolate hazelnut cake which was pretty good, although I was told to just stop eating by that point! Price was $400 before tip for 4 people. I think I like Del Frisco's better, the service at Capital Grille was extremely slow, and even with reservations we waited an hour.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:14:24 GMT

*sigh*

I thought I heard rain outside our window this morning, only to have Bear exclaim, "It's snowing!!" Last year the winter was somewhat of a novelty, but this year I know what awaits me. The weather getting colder, snowy days turning into slushy days, the 11 degree weather in the mornings and the cutting wind.

I miss CA!!!!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:00:46 GMT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR!! I love you so much and can't wait to go out tonight for your birthday!!!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:20:13 GMT

Coming back to CA for Diana and Russell's wedding (YAY!!) November 1-9 (really arriving midnight Nov. 1).

List of places I want to eat at when I come back:

1) Shinsengumi for the noodles and fried rice (I even got props from Gee for this place) (Our noodlehouse in NY can't compare)

2) Brodard for the springrolls and the avocado milkshakes (b/c there's no decent vietnamese food or springrolls like this in NY)

3) Any good dim sum place (Sam Woo will do, but I do prefer Empress or Ocean Star)

4) Kingswood for hot pot (b/c there isn't a decent hotpot place in the city)

5) Griddle Cafe (hopefully with Janet like old times!)

6) Original Pancake House (breakfast with my mom like old times!)

Basically anything asian will do b/c the asian food here just isn't as good!

So who wants to hang out and eat with me???

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:52:40 GMT

My mom came to visit me from September 14-18, and this was the schedule of all the things we did. I had to revise it a bit b/c my mom wasn't used to all the walking you do in NY and got tired. She was a real trooper though and we ate and walked our hearts out.

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday


Dinner-Vice Versa	Breakfast- Sarabeth's	Empire State Building	Breakfast - Clinton St. (my fave pancakes)

Time's Square	Central Park, Natural History Musem	Church	Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island

	Lunch - Café Europa	Lunch - Lombardi's Pizza	Tour Wall St and area

	Broadway Show - Spamalot	Soho, W. Village, Little Italy	Lunch - Katz's

	Dinner - Ruth's Chris	Dinner - Shilla (Ktown)	Dinner - Chai (Thai)

The weather is pretty weird right now, I changed my closet to my fall clothes, and then it got warmer! Oh well, I'll take the warmer weather for as long as I can since it's not that humid right now.

A few weekends ago, Bear and I rented bikes and went riding up the West Side Highway. It was really beautiful since it was right next to the water, and we almost made it to the GW bridge, but we were in Harlem and it got a lot ghettoer so we decided to turn back before our rentals expired (that and we were really tired).

Bear and I will be back Nov 1-7 for Diana and Russell's wedding (yay!) and then I'll be back again from Dec 21-28 for Christmas.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:36:29 GMT

Happy 3 year anniversary Bear!!! I love you so much and I'm looking forward to many many more happy years!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:47:06 GMT

Well, I decided to do my first walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the "Light the Night Walk" on October 4.

My cousin passed away a few years ago from leukemia and she was 2 years younger than me so she never got to experience much. I felt that this walk was something that is appropriate for me to do, and is something I really want to do in memory of my cousin. Some of you have received emails from me requesting your support, but if you thought it was spam, lost the email, or would like to have the link again, here it is: My support page. If you can, please help support this cause. Thank you all!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:29:06 GMT

More restaurants:

Del Frisco's: This place had great cocktails, very good wine, and absolutely amazing steak. I had the filet mignon, rare, and we shared the crabcakes (95% crab), shrimp cocktail with 3 different sauces, potatoes au gratin, asparagus, and creamed spinach. The steak was perfectly seasoned and cooked just right. Also, the chocolate souffle was very good, but how can you go wrong with a chocolate souffle?

McSorley's Old Ale House: I can't believe I went here for lunch, but they have the surliest server I have ever met, complete with a heavy Irish accent. They serve only two beers: McSorley's Light or McSorley's Dark. I didn't try the beer but I heard it was good and also gave a good headache a few hours later. The turkey sandwich I had was okay, but it's pub fare. When you walk in, stale ale wafts out of the restaurant, and they have large amounts of sawdust on the floor! It was quite an experience.

Poke Restaurant: We got an omakase of sorts, we just told the chef how much we wanted to spend and then we got the freshest fish of a certain quantity. I have to say, so far this is the best sushi place I have tried in the city, and I have tried more than a few (but not Yasuda yet - I need someone to pay for that!). This place reminded me of the old Sasabune when it was in that little shack with the neon lighting (before they moved to the old Todai on Wilshire). The two cuts of toro were absolutely perfect, and the red snapper was delightful.

Il Cantinori: I didn't realize that this was the restaurant that "Carrie" had her birthday dinner where no one showed up in Sex and the City until afterwards. The entrees are expensive, but very tasty, as well as the roast vegetable appetizer. It was a very cute restaurant and had a great ambiance about it too. I guess that's why it was in Sex and the City.

Seems like all I do is eat huh?

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:17:41 GMT

I love my Bear! We gave each other our 3 year anniversary gifts early (we couldn't wait!): I gave Bear the new Nike Sumo driver (the round head one) and Bear gave me the Cuisinart Pro Classic Food Processor that I have been pining and pining for. I'm so excited to use it soon! I love you Bear, it's been a wonderful almost 3 years and I'm looking forward to many many more!